Parachute carrier and releaser for kites.



W. H, SHEPARD.

PARACHUTE CARRIER AND RELEASER FOR KITES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28 IBIS.

nnw 1 9 1 4T, 2 L C 0 d 6 t H 6 t a P WALTER H. SHEPARD, OF SOUTH ST. PAUL, MINNESUTA.

PARACHUTE CARRIER AND BELEASER FOR KITES.

aoasaa Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 28, 1915. Serial No. 53,099.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known thatT, WALTER H. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States residing at South St. Paul, in the county of Dakota and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Parachute Carriers and Releasers for Kites; and

I I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a parachute carrier and releaser for kites.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, practical and inexpensive device adapted to be readily applied to a kite cord and capable of enabling a parachute to be sent up the cord to within a short distance of the kite and of being automatically released at the desired point to permit the parachute to float oif from the kite.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a device of this character in which the parachute will serve to catch the wind and carry the device upward along the kite cord and in which the weight of the device will return the same to the person flying the kite after the parachute has been liberated, so that the device may be used for sending ofi' a number of parachutes.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

. In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective View of a parachute carrier and .releaser for kites constructed in accordance with this invention' and shown applied to a kite, Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the construction of the carrier, Fig.

3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of-Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the pivoted supportingfmember, Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the trip or stop, Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate correspondigparts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is llustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a carrier consisting of a sleeve of wood or other suitable material provided with a longitudinal bore or openlng 2 flared at the ends at 3 and adapted to receive the cord 4 of a kite 5 whereby the carrier is adapted to slide upwardly and downwardly thereon to convey a parachute 6 upward and to release the same, the parachute being adapted to be acted on by the wind to slide the carrier.

upward as illustrated in Fig. l of the drawing and the device being adapted to return by, gravity when the parachute 6 is liberated. The parachute 6 is connected with and supported by a pivoted supporting member 7 constructed of wire or other suitable material and consisting of a pair of diverging arms 8 and a stem 9. The arms are hinged or pivoted at 8 to the carrier 1 at opposite sides of the front or upper end thereof and the rear end 10 of the stem is bent downwardly. The ring 11 which is connected with the parachute is adapted to slide freely on the stem of the supporting member and when the rear end 10 of the latter is released the stem swings downwardly and permits theparachute to drop from the supporting member and float off in the air.

The free end 10 of the supporting member 7 is detachably connected with a slidable tripping rod 12 having a head 13 and provided at its rear end with a depending arm 14: terminating in an eye 15 adapted to receive the downwardly bent terminal 10 of the supporting member. The rod 12 which is slidably supported is adapted to be moved rearwardly by a trip 16 consisting of a disk 17 having a central opening 17 to receive the cord of the kite and connected to the rear end of diverging rods 18 provided at their rear ends with eyes 19 linked into perforations of the disk. The rods are also connected at their front ends to a ring 20 which is slidable on the cord and which may be secured adjacent to the kite in any suitable manner as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The rod 12 which .is preferably tubular is provided with eyes 21 which are slidable on Patented @ot. 24L, Tflllfl.

.or secured in the rear end of the other rod 12 which may however, be constructed of any other suitable material as will be readily understood.

The device isarranged for use by connecting a parachute with the carrier by placing the ring 11 of the parachute on the stem 9 of the pivoted supporting member and engag ing the rear end of the supporting member in the eye 15, the tripping rod or member 12 being moved forwardly to its supporting position as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When the carrier reaches the stop or trip 16 the head 13 engages the disk and is held stationary while the carrier advances causing a relative rearward movement of the rod 12 which moves the depending arm 14 out of engagement and supporting position with relation to the stem 9. The stem 9 when unsupported swings downwardly as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing and the parachute is thereby released and permitted to float off. The carrier will then descend the kite cord by gravity=and return to the person flying the kite and may be used over again as will be readily understood. What is claimed is 1. A device ofthe class described including a stop comprising a plate having an opening to receive a kite cord and rods or members converging from the plate and connected with the cord at a point spaced therefrom, a carrier slidable on the cord and means carried by the carrier for supporting a parachute, said means being also adapted to release the parachute when it comes in contact with the said stop.

2. A device of the class described including a sleeve slidable on a kite cord, a supporting member having arms hinged to the sleeve at opposite sides thereof, said supporting member beingadapted to receive a parachute and a tripping member slidably connected with the sleeve and extending between the said arms and provided with means for detachably supporting the said I supporting member.

3. A device of the class described including a sleeve adapted to receive a kite cord, a

tripping member consisting of a rod located beneath the sleeve and slidably connected with the same, a supporting member provided with spaced arms straddling the said rod and hinged to the sleeve at opposite sides thereof, said rod being provided with means for holding the free end of the supporting member and a stop or trip provided with means for mounting it on the kite cord and adapted to be arranged in the path of-the said rod.

4. A device of the class described including a sleeve adapted to be arranged on a kite cord and provided at the bottom with a guide, a rod located beneath the sleeve and slidably connected with the guide, said rod being extended in advance of the sleeve and provided at its rear portion with supporting means, a supporting member hinged at the front to the sleeve and provided at its rear end with means for engaging with the said rod and a stop provided with means for mounting it on the kite cord and arranged to be engaged by the front end of the rod whereby the rear portion thereof is disengaged from the supporting member to re lease a parachute.

5. A device of the class described including a sleeve having a bore. or opening to receive a kite cord and provided at its lower portion with a longitudinal guide rod, a slidable tripping rod provided with eyes receiving the guide and movable along the same, said tripping rod being provided at its rear endwith a depending arm having an eye, a supporting member hinged to the sleeve at the front end thereof and provided with a rear portion engaged with the eye of the said arm and means for moving the tripping arm WALTER H. SHEPARD. Witnesses M. F. WENZEL, Y A. J. FUNK. 

